U.S. Supreme Court Halts Gay Marriage in Utah

The U.S. Supreme Court granted Utah’s request to stay a federal judge’s ruling that overturned the state’s law banning same-sex marriage. The stay effectively stops county clerks from issuing any more marriage licenses to gay couples for now.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says he believes the Supreme Court made the right choice when it decided to stay the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby. But Reyes is still unclear about what the stay means for the hundreds of gay couples who got married in the last two weeks.

“This is precisely the uncertainty we were hoping to avoid by requesting a stay immediately up the decision of the district court," Reyes says. "It’s unfortunate that many Utah citizens have been put into this legal limbo, but we’re evaluating their legal status currently.”

Ken Kimball is one of those Utahns left in limbo. He and his husband were one of the first couples in Salt Lake County to receive their marriage license. He says while he is excited to see where the appeals process goes, he’s worried that the Supreme Court’s decision only creates more issues and problems.

“It’s difficult to have something so personal be, waiting your whole life for something, having it given to you, and then having it put on hold, and then being caught in limbo, it’s a little bit uncomfortable for sure,” Kimball says.

The case is now before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals based in Denver. The state has until January 27th to file their first brief. A date for a hearing in the case has not been set.